There is such little depth across the board that a single injury could derail months of plans. Yes, the brand appears to love Breezango—but as comedic characters only. They have about the same credibility as The Ascension. Better booking would help everyone involved, but the blue brand's division is propped up by two teams.
With that said, the Hell in a Cell match between those teams is going to kick all sorts of ass. CM: SmackDown may only be featuring two teams, but a lot of that has to do with the two-hour show.
Raw has a whole extra hour to work with, and they often go an extra 15 minutes past that. SmackDown has managed to feature comedy segments with The Fashion Police while still having a competitive title storyline. When they were in NXT, they were unstoppable.
CM: SmackDown's men's singles division is head and shoulders above Raw's. A big reason for that is how they keep it fresh by having main event stars compete for the U. The Miz is awesome, but what does it say about Raw when its top champion comes and goes as he pleases?
Like AJ Styles said on an episode of Talking Smack , SmackDown makes the stars, and Raw comes in to reap the rewards after all the hard work is done building them up. EB: What Raw lacks in fresh new talent, it makes up for with the sense of urgency with which it approaches its singles stars.
Ditto Samoa Joe, who instantly made the jump from NXT and was positioned as a legitimate star at the next level. The same can be said for Finn Balor, who made his debut and became universal champion in mere weeks. In fact, the idea SmackDown is responsible for Raw's top singles stars is debatable, at best. The company took Jason Jordan from the scrap heap on Tuesdays and made him a star. It took Miz from the midcard and has him feuding with legitimate main event stars like Reigns.
Even someone like Crews, wallowing away in the SD midcard, has come over and found a niche on Raw. The red brand has elevated Enzo Amore, Big Cass, Elias, a rejuvenated Goldust and Neville through increased exposure on the flagship show to the point that any of them can utilize the credibility they have from working Monday nights to jump to SmackDown during the next Superstar initiative and portray legitimate main eventers. Look at Mahal, whose work with Reigns, Rollins and Balor this past spring is often underrated when discussing his rise to prominence on Tuesdays.
It can be argued SmackDown does not do the work in getting singles stars ready for Raw but, rather, the flagship gives them exposure to the point lifelong midcarders can find success at the top of the SD card.
Except for Zayn, who can't catch a break on either roster apparently. Balor has been stuck in a feud with Bray Wyatt that everyone is hoping will end sooner rather than later, and Wyatt has been all but destroyed by a lack of credible wins. Jordan is a great hand in the ring, but you can hear a pin drop during his entrance.
Elias gets good reactions for his songs, but he has yet to put on a memorable match with anyone on the main roster. Reigns may be a top star in the eyes of the company, but he still has many critics. Mahal has a lot of work to do before he can be taken seriously as a champion, but at least WWE is doing what needs to be done to get him heel heat, even if it rubs some people the wrong way.
When it comes to potential WrestleMania matches, I would much rather see Nakamura vs. Styles than Reigns vs. EB: Raw is a brand targeting the casual audience, with recognizable faces and names like Reigns and Lesnar.
No, it does not properly utilize its stars all of the time, but the argument can be made that SmackDown has not, either. Mahal is cracking race-based jokes about Nakamura. That feud does not need it. Styles and Corbin are feuding because The show has not made the most of its talent. It just has a more internet-friendly crop of Superstars, whereas Raw treats Reigns like a major star but is not shy about using him to get others over, a fact the most ardent of haters would not be quick to admit.
He lost numerous times to Owens on pay-per-view and, whether anyone wants to say it or not, single-handedly got Strowman over as a credible main event star. Yeah, Balor and Wyatt have been underutilized, but that has as much to do with Creative on either show not knowing how to use The Reaper of Souls.
Balor, still highly marketed and merchandised, will be back in the title picture sooner rather than later, and Joe will be back to wreaking havoc once he returns from injury.
There are some who complain about Lesnar's infrequent appearances, but those are the same fans who will tout the greatness of s territories, where pay-per-view title matches meant more because the champion was not overexposed on television every week.
If anything, Lesnar's absence from television has helped enhance the meaning of that title and create opportunities for others to headline pay-per-views, as we saw at Extreme Rules in the Fatal 5-Way main event. It has obvious flaws, including a runtime that is entirely too long.
A star-studded roster, more meaningful booking and greater emphasis placed on it than its counterpart, though, have helped the flagship excel as the premier program in Vince McMahon's wrestling empire. The blue brand may house a more internet-friendly crop of Superstars, but there is a sense of significance surrounding the Monday night staple that other shows have been unable to replicate. The sense of urgency with which writers approach the red brand is palpable.
The matches, moments and angles simply mean more to the product than those of SmackDown Live. For better or worse, Raw is a significantly better product than SmackDown at this point because it is allowed to be. It feels like we see the same things over and over on Monday nights, while Tuesdays give us a greater variety of personalities engaging in more interesting feuds. You would never see The Fashion Police on Raw because it is too ridiculous for the so-called flagship show, but it has been a highlight of SmackDown each and every week.
The blue brand has somehow managed to give more Superstars a chance to shine with an hour less to work with every week, and some of those stars were stolen by the red brand because SD was constantly outshining Raw.
Even a guy like Aiden English is finding a way to succeed on SmackDown. On Raw, he would be working dark matches. Raw has a lot going for it, but SmackDown is simply the better show. RAW is a three-hour show, while SmackDown is on the air for two hours. However, RAW is also usually bloated with non-wrestling segments, interviews, and recap videos, while SmackDown has generally put a greater focus on in-ring action.
At three hours, RAW can drag and make fans want to see what else is on. SmackDown is a crisp two hours and usually leaves fans wanting more. The color red is reserved for RAW and similarly, the ropes of the ring are also red during the show. On the other hand, the color blue is associated with SmackDown, who changed to blue ropes dropping the white ropes they had for a while.
New User posted their first comment. Log in. Duration and content. Give feedback.
0コメント